Update: The History of the Eagles

Glenn Frey died of pneumonia on January 18, 2016 developed as the consequence of multiple medical issues.

He will not be easily replaced!

NEW YORK–Rock band legend Glenn Frey has died after complications with several illnesses.

Frey, the founder of the Eagles, died on Monday in New York City at the age of 67.

Frey was the band’s lead guitarist, as well as songwriter, singer and pianist on many hit songs, including “Hotel California” and “Life in the Fast Lane.” The band won six Grammy Awards with Frey at its helm, and has sold millions of albums worldwide. It was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Frey had been fighting several illnesses for weeks now, including pneumonia, rheumatoid arthritis and acute ulcerative colitis.

“The Frey family would like to thank everyone who joined Glenn to fight this fight and hoped and prayed for his recovery,” said a statement posted to the band’s Facebook page, which was shared about 20,000 times in just 10 minutes, showing the outpouring of love for Frey.

Frey founded the band along with drummer Don Henley, and the band’s debut album was a big success, with Frey co-writing its first single, “Take It Easy.” Other original members of the bands in the early 1970s included guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner.

“We are all in a state of shock, disbelief and profound sorrow,” Henley said in a statement Monday. “I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet.

“It will be very strange going forward in a world without him in it,” Henley added. “But, I will be grateful, every day, that he was in my life. Rest in peace, my brother. You did what you set out to do, and then some.”

The band broke up in 1980 after internal fights, after which Frey continued to perform and release songs solo, including hits “The Heat Is On” and “Smuggler’s Blues.” The Eagles reunited in the early ’90s and continued playing together on and off in the years that followed.

“He was like a brother to me,” Henley went on to say Monday. “We were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But, the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved.”

It doesn’t get much better than this.

What has always made the Eagles so special is their ability to harmonize with their voices as well as their guitars.